Rounding off my series on Montsalvatge/Montsalvatje bookplates (previous installments posted on February 23 & 27), this one looks as if it may have actually belonged to the composer. At any rate, I feel like I am getting awfully close.

Xavier Montsalvatge was born in 1912. Note also the prevalence of currency and coin. The February 27 plate, designed for one Jordi Montsalvatje I Fossa, bears a humorous image of a musician whose pockets are overflowing with money, yet his music-making frightens the cat.

That plate’s inscription reads “Music pagat, no fa mal sò,” apparently a recognized expression in Catalonia, since a Google search turns up multiple links. The translation is, roughly, “Music paid for makes bad sound,” meaning, as far as I can make out, that when one is paid for one’s work, one doesn’t do it well, or doesn’t do it at all. Perhaps the tag “Banquer” (or banker) is meant to be ironic?

According to the composer’s nephew, there is only one family with the surname Montsalvatge, and its roots are in Catalonia, though an offshoot appeared in the United States in the 19th century. On either side of the Atlantic, the tree hangs heavy with the fruit of both artists and bibliophiles.

Here’s some more music by Xavier Montsalvatge: